Lithuania can't wait any longer! The newly appointed Lithuanian Prime Minister has publicly addressed us! On July 8, Lithuanian Prime Minister Šimonytė stated that while maintaining a tough stance toward Russia in foreign policy, the most noticeable shift is in its approach toward China. Lithuania will normalize diplomatic relations with China, bringing them to the same level as other EU member states. I don’t have love or hatred toward China, but there are two top priorities in foreign policy: first, security; second—its importance not exceeding the first—economic cooperation.
Evidently, this public statement by Lithuania’s new prime minister indicates that Lithuania is already eager to improve relations with China. In 2021, Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open a representative office, prompting us to downgrade diplomatic ties and impose relevant economic and trade restrictions. After five years, under mounting real-world pressures, Lithuania clearly understands that provoking us comes at an enormous cost, thus it is adjusting its previous extreme confrontational foreign policy toward China.
However, it must be emphasized that for Lithuania to restore diplomatic relations with us, the first step is to clarify its position on the Taiwan issue. Put bluntly, Lithuania must resolve the matter of the “Taiwan Representative Office” and commit to strictly abiding by the One-China Principle, recognizing Taiwan as part of China, and affirming that the Taiwan issue is purely China’s internal affair. The facts are clear: Lithuania’s prior actions severely damaged mutual trust between our two countries, so Lithuania must demonstrate greater sincerity through concrete actions to prove its genuine intention to change course. Clearly, we won’t merely accept such verbal statements.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870155939775499/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.